Ohio State completes review of giving by Jeffrey Epstein, will donate more than $330,000

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX/WTTE) — The Ohio State University announced Thursday that it has concluded its review of giving by Jeffrey Epstein and will donate $336,000 to the Ohio Attorney General's Human Trafficking Initiative.

The review, which was conducted by the national accounting firm EY, identified $336,000 in donations and pledges from Epstein and the J. Epstein Foundation to the university, including a 1990 gift of $1,000 to the Wexner Center's Membership.

In February 2020, a group of former Ohio State Wrestlers who said they were abused by the team’s doctor, Richard Strauss, asked the Ohio Inspector General to investigate the school’s connection with Epstein.

The university said all of the donations were made to the Wexner Center for the Art years before any accusations against Epstein surfaced. However, the university said in light of Epstein's "reprehensible crimes," retaining the donations would not be consistent with the university's values.

"Accordingly, Ohio State will contribute $336,000 to the Ohio Attorney General's Human Trafficking Initiative," the university said in a news release.

The university said it has identified discretionary funds for the contribution and will not use restricted donor funds, tuition or tax dollars.

Ohio State said the review included fundraising documentation dating back to before 1980 as well as Ohio State real estate, treasury and investment records.

During the investigation, EY found that gifts were received from the J. Epstein Foundation in the amount of $260,000 from 1990 to 1997. One additional document noted a potential total of $335,000 in gifts.

The university said it could not confirm the receipt of the additional $75,000 pledged, the university opted to make a donation to the Ohio Attorney General's Human Trafficking Initiative that equals the amount of the larger figure of funds received or pledged, including the $1,000 membership fund gift originally identified in July.

The university also reported a 2007 gift of $2.5 million from the COUQ Foundation, Inc. While Epstein was a director and officer of the foundation, the review found that this gift originated from the Wexner Children's Trust and the Leslie H. Wexner Charitable Fund and not from Epstein.